Alternate
by SMURFANDTURF535
Summary: We all know the story of King Arthur. This is not it. The tale of Saber Alter - birth, death, and everything in between. Historical and canonical liberties will be taken, but I will try to stick with it as much as I can. Rated M for eventual violence, language, and dark themes. Credit to Robin-Arc for the cover image.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: All Fate/ aspects are owned by TYPE-MOON; I am not a member of TYPE-MOON. **

**Prologue**

Uther Pendragon was the king of Britain.

He was a strong individual, one whom could match anyone in single combat. He was an even stronger king, one whom no Baron could stand against. Yet he was just to his people, providing them with the protection they needed to live their lives peacefully and without fear. And because of this, his people loved him. A just king who upheld a just law, the respect he showed towards both his subjects and his adversaries placed him among the most revered kings in all of Britain. And with his greatest enemy, Gorlois of Cornwall, defeated eight months prior, he was a king that should have been without worry.

It was this king that was pacing outside of his wife's room, chewing a thumbnail into oblivion as his heavy leather boots echoing across the stone halls. Face illuminated by a single candle he held, he found himself wondering if the queen's screams had woken anyone from their sleep.

As previously stated, the former Duke of Cornwall had died eight months ago, slain by Uther's forces. That day happened to also be the day of his son's conception. To make a long story short, the late duke's wife, Igraine, was now Uther's wife. It was Igraine who had borne his child for the past nine months. It was Igraine's chambers that Uther had left when it became clear that the physicians would need some space for the procedure to be successful. And it was Igraine's wailing that was driving the king's pacing and sending the nail on his thumb to the afterlife.

Igraine's pregnancy had proven a difficult one. From the very beginning, Igraine had experienced more pain than was typical, and now, the child was being born three weeks early.

The child. His child.

Arthur Pendragon.

They'd decided on the name the day it was announced that the queen was with child. It would be the name of the king who would carry the Pendragon bloodline. A name that would surely find its place among those of the greatest kings in the history of the land. The name of someone who Uther could be proud to call his son. It would all surely come true, but only if the child survived.

Another scream, this one loud enough to split the heavens. Seized from his thoughts, the king knew it was over. Uther did his best to maintain a calm exterior as he heard the sound of footsteps from inside the room.

The door swung open to reveal a young woman wearing a loose-fitting white gown - one of the castle's physicians.

"My liege," she said as she folded her hands and bowed, "it is finished. You may enter."

Uther closed the gap between him and the girl with three long strides. "Thank you. How'd it go?"

"Much better than expected." The girl smiled, "Both the queen and the child are alive and well. The queen needs some rest, but that's to be expected."

Uther clapped his hand on the girl's shoulder, lessing the pressure he applied when she flinched under his iron grip. "Thank you." He looked behind the girl at the other physicians. "Thank you all, truly."

The girls all bowed. "I'd be best if the queen were to rest for a few days," one of them called out, "Healthy she may be, the ordeal she just went through is unlike any other."

Uther smiled knowingly, "Of course. I know better than to make light of childbirth." He inhaled sharply before continuing: "If you believe she is well enough, then I will trust your judgement. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a wife and child to attend to."

"Of course." they said near simultaneously before gathering their equipment. Gracefully, they left the room and travelled the hall in single-file. Uther watched until they disappeared in the darkness before entering and quietly closing the door behind him.

The room was not much different from the hall - stone walls, stone floors, light absent save for a few candles. What set it apart was the bed in the middle of the room - a red, four-poster bed with a large table next to it. The various stains on the table led Uther to believe that it was where the tools were kept during the procedure. On the bed was the lone figure of the queen, looking both tired and overjoyed.

Perhaps "lone figure" is not a description befitting the queen's situation. After all, there was a small figure within the swaddling cloth she held to her chest.

Uther crossed the room as quietly as possible in an attempt to avoid disturbing the child. He realized that it was all for naught when he saw the pair of eyes watching him intensely.

As he looked upon the infant, he couldn't help but smile. The child looked up at him with the eyes of its mother - a brilliant emerald that perfectly complemented the tuft of golden hair atop his rounded head. A serious look - one that was aware of everything happening around it as he clutched to his mother's bosom.

"He's beautiful." Uther found himself saying.

Igraine merely mumbled as she nodded in response. Uther looked up from the child at his wife. She was smiling, but otherwise showed almost no signs of life.

Perhaps she'd need more than just a few days of rest.

"You should get some sleep." He said, placing his candle on the table before leaning in to plant a kiss on his wife's forehead. "You look terrible."

"Yes...perhaps I should." She said faintly as she looked down. The smile she'd been wearing faltered ever so slightly. "U...Uther...would you…?"

Uther grunted in response as he walked to the opposite side of the room to fetch a stool that was hiding in the shadows. He brought it back to the side of the bed and sat on it before holding his arms out. Igraine hesitated briefly before surrendering her child to his father's embrace. The babe himself seemed to not register the switch, never breaking eye contact with Uther.

The king couldn't help but chuckle as he held his child. He had yet to cry, but if the physicians insisted that he was healthy, then Uther wasn't about to doubt them. "He's a serious one." He said with pride in his voice. The more he learned about his heir, the more he began to like him.

"Mmmmm…" Igraine mumbled with her eyes half closed. She was still fighting to stay awake.

"It's okay," Uther smiled as he began to rock the baby "We're not going anywhere."

The queen's lips turned upwards for a split second before settling in a more neutral state. Her breathing slowed, and she was asleep within a few minutes.

Uther stopped his rocking and looked back at his son. He was beautiful - nay, perfect. Hair that was as gold dust, eyes as of gemstones, the king could already tell that the child had beauty that bordered on divine. He was so entranced that he almost didn't notice the tiny hand reaching up towards his face. It grabbed one of Uther's long locks of hair and began to thoroughly examine it as if it was the greatest mystery in the world.

"Incredible, isn't it?"

Uther felt the smile on his lips slowly vanish as he registered the voice that came from the corner behind him. He didn't hate the man - if he did, he wouldn't have been there to begin with - but he knew that it was always better to keep your guard up around him. He slowly turned around in his seat, maneuvering the child in his arms to grab his candle in the process. The light slowly made its way to the source of the voice.

Standing in the corner was a robed figure completely veiled in the darkness of the room. Uther stood from his seat and quietly closed the distance between him and his court's magus.

"I trust that everything went well?" Uther asked. Straight to business. One of the things that made him so successful a ruler was his tenancy to trample the bush when others would beat around it.

Merlin smiled. Now that was as ominous a sight as any. It was the past experience of every resident of the Pendragon estate that a smiling Merlin was to be avoided at all costs.

"Yes, the child has the Element. She will be an undefeatable king. If she is raised properly, of course." He said in a voice as smooth as silk as he stepped out from the darkness into the light of the candle. He wore all white robes with a hood that covered his eyes, per usual.

Uther smiled. "That's good. Well then, with the kingdom's future assured, I suppose it's time to move on to the lands across the channel."

Merlin didn't reply. He didn't move at all. That smile of quiet confidence he wore so well remained on his face as Uther's eyes began to widen.

"Wait...did you just…?"

"There is more to this child than meets the eye, your majesty."

For the briefest of moments, the only movement in the room was the child's tugging of Uther's hair.

For the first time in his life, Uther was dumbstruck. Did his plan...not work? All because of one simple change in the facts? He looked down with wide eyes. With the amount of attention the child was giving the lock of hair, perhaps there really was some great mystery within it.

Then, with a trembling hand, the king unravled his child from the swaddling cloth, thus confirming his fears.

He slowly began re-wrapping the child, thinking of what to do aloud: "Okay...okay...we can...we can do it again. Igraine can…"

"Igraine would not survive another birth." Merlin interrupted Uther's train of thought, smile vanishing. "The dragon's essence has ravaged her body beyond repair. Even a normal pregnancy would be too much for her in the state she is in, and that's not even considering the child." He proclaimed with a commanding tone. "On top of that, do you really think I could find another dragon element so swiftly? The one within the child you hold is the only one I've ever SEEN, your majesty!" He emphasized by waving his arms about.

Uther was silent. How did it end up like this?

Everything was planned! He was to have a child - a son - who would succeed him and carry on his legacy! He'd even gone as far as to enlist Merlin's help to ensure his son would have the power to do so, so why...?

"All is not lost, sire." Merlin proclaimed in a slightly happier tone. He may have been the greatest magus in all of Britain, but a way with words was definitely something he was lacking.

Uther slowly turned and returned to his wife's bedside. He quietly took his seat, and looked at the child once again. She was still clinging onto his hair, refusing to let it go as if her life depended on it. Then she noticed that he was looking at her, and turned her attention from his hair to his eyes.

The child's gaze was definitely not that of an ordinary newborn. She wasn't even an hour old, yet her eyes radiated the determination and valour of a knight, along with...something...else.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was certainly something _different_ about this child.

Uther smiled again. Merlin was right. Even if the child was a girl, she was still a Pendragon. And the element of a dragon does not distinguish between genders when it provides power.

"Alright." He said, his spirits lifted once more, "I suppose it won't make much of a difference; as long as she is raised as a knight, the plan will still work."

Merlin's eyes narrowed: "Then she will have to throw away her gender - she must disregard who she is for the sake of her nation. Are you sure you're okay with this, sire?"

Uther shook his head, "It's not a question of whether or not I am okay with it. The simple fact is that it must be done," He stood, "The king must sacrifice himself for his country's prosperity.

He trudged across the stones of the floor to the place where Merlin stood. The magus stood silent.

"Gender does not change this fact." He said, holding out the child. Her serious gaze shifted from her father to the mage.

Merlin took a long look at the child. Even now, he could feel the element radiating its power. And if his research was worth anything, it would only get stronger.

But that wasn't the only thing he sensed. The child had the aura of a true ruler, even now. One that was even stronger than the one Uther radiated, even now. She would be a great leader, no doubt. One that would lead her people from beginning to end, and everywhere in between.

However, as he relayed this information, he neglected to mention one thing. Rather, he chose not to mention it.

The child's mind was dark.

_Very_ dark.

And this caused Merlin to grin ever so slightly under the shadow of his hood.

Darkness of the mind to this degree was only found in the homicidally insane. What would happen if someone raised a child like this within the moral boundaries or chivalry? What if the same child was then put in a position of power?

It would certainly be interesting.

He showed none of these thoughts to his king, opting instead to take the child in his arms and turn for the door. Before he left, however:

"Sire, I don't suppose you'd be willing to give her a name? One that, perhaps, fits who she is?"

Uther sighed: "To be honest, I have no other names prepared. She's my child, so I'm not going to just pick a name off the top of my head either." He walked over to one of the walls and leaned against it.

Merlin chuckled: "Very well." He then proceeded to exit the room, silently closing the door behind him.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

The night was completely silent. The estate, even more so.

Sir Ector was known throughout the lands as a rather conservative Lord. He didn't splurge, didn't hold extravagant parties, and didn't have an excessive number of servants or concubines.

In short, he was an old-fashioned knight.

A knight who was walking in his courtyard, alone. He often spent his nights doing so - walking around his property, taking in the crisp air of the land he called home. He'd sometimes read, sometimes reflect, but most of all, he'd just walk around, simply enjoying the silence.

He crossed the moist grass and crouched over the reflection pool in the center of the courtyard. The moon shone brilliantly, reflecting across the stone walls, cascading over the entire area. Here, he was away from the problems of the world. Here, he was at peace.

A loud knock disturbed him from his little paradise. He huffed. One of the disadvantages of keeping so few servants was the fact that he had to answer the door himself at night.

He stood with a grumble and slowly made his way to the large wooden doors that occupied the front wall of the courtyard. The design of the house meant that the yard would be the first thing seen if someone entered through the front door.

The knocking continued once more, getting louder with each blow.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." He called out, covering the last few feet between him and the door. He arrived, pulled aside the large metal bar that kept the door closed, and pulled.  
>There was no one there.<p>

Something was wrong. The old knight instinctively reached for a blade that was not there, before he noticed something at his feet.

"Just like a fairytale." He huffed as his gaze fell on the small basket.

He bent over and took it into his arms, observing all the details he could with the limited lighting.

A pair of green gemstones gazed back at him - the most serious child he'd ever seen, with a head of blonde hair.

He saw a flash of light around the child's wrapped neck. He blinked a few times before reaching out and taking the piece of beautifully crafted metal in his hand. Then, he read aloud what he presumed was the name of the child in his arms.

"Arturia?"

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

**Okay, here it is.**

**I was originally planning on releasing chapters every week after I finished the story. But then, I was like NAAAAHHHH...**

**Yeah, I have no self control.**

**Anyway, updates for this one are gonna be slow. I'm doing a lot more editing than I ever have, and I'm practically an Arthurian textbook with all of the research I've done. I guess what I'm trying to say is QUALITY OVER QUANTITY.**

**Chapters won't be anything ridiculous like 1-per-year, but monthly updates are probably going to happen - at least, for now.**

**That's it for now. Please review - they're what makes me actually want to write over playing Smash 4 or Destiny.**

**See you next time!**

**-smurf **


	2. Chapter I: Neaht Angrisla

**DISCLAIMER: All Fate/ aspects are owned by TYPE-MOON; I am not a member of TYPE-MOON.**

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

**Chapter I: Neaht Angrisla**

**I kill.**

Darkness surrounded her.

**I give life.**

Unable to move. Unable to breath. Unable to _think._

**I injure.**

How long had she been like this? Seconds? Minutes? Hours?

**I heal.**

She tried to move her head, only to find herself unable to do so.**  
><strong>

**None will escape my grasp.**

The darkness began to move, creeping up her limbs, covering her inch by inch.

**None will escape my sight.**

She tried to struggle, scream, do _anything _to escape the terrible fate no doubt awaiting her.

**Be crushed.**

It was all futile. She could only sit and wait helplessly as the darkness to completely envelop her.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

Her eyes flew open. They darted side to side as a familiar set of bricks came into view. She was in her room.

_'A dream. It...it was just a dream.'_

She took several deep breaths in a futile attempt to calm her furiously beating heart. When it became clear that it wasn't working, she sighed and sat upright, swinging her legs around so that they dangled off the side of the bed. She glanced out her lone window to see the moon high in the sky. Heart still pounding, she crossed the small space of her room to a dull, wooden chest. She opened it and pulled out a plain tunic and a pair of dark slacks, fastened to each other by a thin rope. She looked out the window once more before pulling her nightgown over her head.

She pulled on the rope around her waist as she walk back to the bed and sat on it. As she struggled with her boots, she allowed her eyes to wander around her room.

Plain and utilitarian - just as she liked it. The four walls were the stone of the house, and lacked adornments or tapestries of any kind. One window to her right, one door to her left. Just next to the door was a wooden coat rack with a single, rough coat made of bearskin on it. The wall across from her had the old wooden chest she'd taken her attire from, but little else. Underneath the window was a small bookshelf that was mostly empty, save for the bible and a few stories of knights. And then there was the bed: a simple mattress and cover enclosed in four wooden posts. It was the object dangling from one of the posts that currently had her attention.

A small piece of carefully formed metal with a string going through it, a single word engraved on its surface.

_Arturia_.

She smiled as she pulled the trinket over her head. The girl then stood and silently made her way across the room, grabbing her coat from its hanging place before slipping out the door. Quite a feat, since the hinges of said door usually sounded like they hadn't been lubricated since the dawn of time. Yet, she managed to close the door without incident. After confirming a complete lack of life in the hall, she slowly but surely made her way to the armory.

Rare were the nights when Arturia's dreams did not disturb her. In fact, the last tolerable dream she'd had was what compelled her to become her brother's squire, and that was seven years prior. Her ninth birthday, to be exact. As it happens, that was also the day she first visited the armory. Ever since, she found herself visiting whenever she could, using it as a place of peace - a place where she could be alone and sort out her thoughts. And there was certainly plenty of sorting to do tonight.

She finally reached the staircase, descending it slowly even as her mind raced.

Never before had she experienced a dream so _vivid_. So _real_. So utterly _terrifying._ Her retreat to the armory was just that - a retreat. An attempt to escape the horror she just experienced.

Her boots ceased to make noise on the ground, and she knew she was standing on the frigid ground of the courtyard. The moon shone brilliantly onto the reflection pool, illuminating the walls in vibrant streaks of white. And sitting at the edge of the pool, legs crossed beneath him, was her brother. His messy brown hair fell loosely around his slightly rounded face, and he wore practically the same thing he always did - light tunic, dark pants, rope belt, boots, coat. The only thing separating his outfit from Arturia's was his coat - it was deerskin, not bear.

"So, the perfect daughter _does_ sneak out at night. I wonder what would happen if the old man found out about this." He chimed in, shifting his gaze from the reflection pool to his sister.

"Good evening, Sir Kay." Arturia said with a slight bow.

Kay squinted. "_Just Kay, _idiot. We're siblings, for crying out loud."

She smiled before bowing even deeper. "Of course, Sir Kay."

Kay grit his teeth. "You're so annoying, you know that? Anyway, what brings you here?"

Arturia shrugged. "I was going to the armory."

"This late?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Well, what are you doing?" She countered.

Kay turned away from her with a _tch_. He stared in the reflection pool, face illuminated by the light of the moon.

There was silence. Arturia took the time to sit next to Kay before staring into the pool herself.

It was so...calm. She heard nothing, only because there was nothing to hear. The water was perfectly undisturbed, and shone like a brilliant mirror. She stared into this absolute peace for a long time. Little by little, she felt her fear fade away...

"I had a dream." She finally said.

While Kay said nothing, the look he gave her told her she should continue.

"I...was surrounded by darkness. I couldn't see the sky, the ground, _anything._ Then, The darkness...started..._eating_ me, I think?"

"You think?" Kay narrowed his eyes.

"I can't really explain it. And, there was something...a voice, I think? But I can't remember what it said-"

Whatever Arturia was going to say got cut off as Kay dunked her head under the water.

Arturia fought tooth and nail to breath again. She glared at him angrily through her wet bangs, but he cut her off before she could say anything.

"You're thinking too much. Dreams are dreams. Reality is reality. Leave the dreams in their world, and let's just stay in this one."

She was angry. The water was freezing. Kay's smirk was overwhelmingly irritating. Yet, it was only when Kay dragged her to her feet that Arturia noticed that her heart had finally calmed down.

"C'mon. Let's go." He said, pulling her arm.

"Where?" She asked, offering a pathetic resistance.

He looked back and grinned.

"The armory, of course."

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

The air was thick with tension.

The tension of two bitter rivals going for each other's throat.

Neither dared to move as they tried to glare each other to death.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to attack?" Kay half-muttered, wooden sword grasped in his right hand.

"And rush into a trap? No thank you." Arturia countered, grasping her short staff with both hands at her side.

Both narrowed their eyes further, searching for an opening of any kind, even as they taunted each other.

"Well, what if my trap involves you just standing there?"

Arturia smiled. "It won't. You're not smart enough to come up with something like that."

"Wha-WHY YOU!" Kay shouted and charged, coming down with his blade at an angle.

Arturia lifted her weapon quickly, striking her opponent's blade with enough force to send him off-balance. She then charged with a diagonal strike of her own.

Kay saw this in time, however, and turned himself to the left just fast enough to evade. He completed the motion by spinning all the way around and lashing out with a blow for the side of her head.

Arturia caught on and followed through with her momentum by rolling across the ground. She sprung up instantly, back covered in dirt.

Kay didn't give up though, and he immediately rushed in again, this time with a stab aimed for the stomach.

A fairly obvious move, Arturia countered by duplicating Kay's previous move - spinning in a circle, blow aimed for the head.

Kay managed to sink his head just enough to avoid the blow, but it wasn't enough. Having already predicted his movements, Arturia released her left hand from the staff and let gravity take over. Kay received the blow square on his back, and he tumbled on the ground.

"It appears that it is my victory." Arturia said with a triumphant smirk.

"Yeah, no. You lost."

Arturia's brow fell and her eyes narrowed as Kay stood, dusting himself in the process.

"You let go of the sword. No self-respecting knight would release her sword in combat."

"Well, maybe I'm just revolutionary."

"Maybe you're just stupid."

"Even if I let go, you're the one that got hit. How is it my loss?"

"Nonono, you're the winner. You just won by a cheap-shot."

"How was that a cheap-shot!? I attacked an opening!"

"In a way no knight ever would. That's why you'll always be a squirt."

"_Squire, _dammit!_"_

Kay stuck his hand out and ruffled his sister's hair. He was at least a head taller, if not more.

"No, I think 'Squirt' suits you just fine."

"YOU LITTLE-" Arturia swatted Kay's arm away and full body tackled him to the ground.

"HEY, YOU'RE THE LITTLE ONE HERE!"

"SHUT UP!"

The pair was so caught up in their flailing and screaming that they didn't notice the figure in the door until he cleared his throat.

Then they froze. Absolutely motionless. Arturia was on top of Kay, hands on his collar, while Kay was on the ground, clutching her hair in one hand and pushing on her shoulder with the other.

Both slowly turned to see the figure of one Sir Ector standing in the doorway.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

'TERRIBLYSORRYSIR!"

"WON'THAPPENAGAINSIR!"

Although Ector had told them to stay quiet, the pair of frantic apologies could no doubt be heard all around the house.

"Calm down, you two. Why on earth were you two down there at this hour?"

"Her fault." Kay said without hesitation, pointing at Arturia.

"MY FAULT? You're the one with the key!"

"LIES! THE HEATHEN LIES!"

"Wh-HEATHEN!?"

Ector sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the two broke into arguing again.

"Quiet down, you'll wake the whole house. Assuming you haven't already done so."

Silence.

The power of respect really is amazing.

"Now then," Ector said, closing the door behind him "why are you two down here?"

Arturia's head dipped ever so slightly as she shifted from foot to foot. Kay, on the other hand, stood resolute and confident.

There was a brief pause before Kay finally answered: "It's my fault, sir. I wanted to get as much practice in as possible before the proving," He bowed deeply, "Again, I'm terribly sorry."

Arturia turned her head. Kay was covering for her? Why?

A huff, and Arturia's head turned back to Ector.

"First, you blame her, now you say it's you? Make up your mind."

"It IS me, sir." Kay said, standing up straighter than usual. "It's as I said, and I take full responsibility."

Ector sighed. "I see. Well, if you're so sorry, then don't do it again. And you," He turned to Arturia, "Don't just go along with your knight so easily. Use your head."

"I-I'm sorry, sir." Arturia stammered, bowing just as Kay did.

Ector sighed. "Anyway, get back to bed, you two. Mass is at noon tomorrow, and the last thing I want is for either of you two to be dozing off."

"Yessir." They simultaneously answered.

Ector nodded before turning and walking back up the stairs, leaving the door open behind him.

For a while, the pair just stood there. Then, Arturia walked to the place where the weapons lay, and picked them up.

"Why did you do that?" She asked as she brought the weapons back to their places.

Kay scratched his head. "You didn't answer, so I assumed you didn't want to talk about it."

Arturia paused briefly before breaking into a smile. "Since when were you considerate of my feelings?"

Kay shot her a weird look. "How does that saying go? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?"

She chuckled. "Fair enough."

Kay smirked. "Besides, I wasn't lying. I need to get as much practice in as possible."

Arturia paused briefly before she realized what he was talking about.

"Oh, right. It's next week, isn't it?"

"Yep." Kay walked over and looked out the open doorway. "Everybody is going, from all over the country. I have to make sure that I'm ready, or I'll be humiliated."

"Well, try not to get hit by some idiot's dishonorable blow, okay?" Arturia said with a smirk.

Kay scoffed. "Shut up." He started up the stairs again, Arturia close behind him. "So I guess you feel better?"

"Hmm?"

"You look calm. Do you feel better?"

Arturia smiled. "Yes, I do. Thank you, Kay."

Kay grinned "Anytime, squirt."

Arturia refrained from causing another scene. Falling out of favor with Sir Ector was probably not anything to aspire to.

"Kay?"

"Yeeees?"

Arturia pondered briefly. "Nothing." She decided. Kay would have told her if he was willing to say why he was up.

Besides, he just told her to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Whatever."

The two reached their first room - Arturia's - and said goodnight to each other. Arturia then walked into her room as quietly as possible.

She closed and locked the door behind her.

She removed her coat and hung it on its hook.

She undressed and donned her nightgown.

She returned to her bed, closed her eyes, and quickly drifted to sleep.

And the nightmare continued.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

**Yes, I said monthly. I also said I have no self-control.**

**It's amazing what a two-hour train ride with a dead phone, a pen, a journal, and nothing else can do for the creative process. **

**Detailed outlines up to chapter six are complete. I was also finally able to figure out how I wanted to end this one.**

**That being said, Chapter 3 will host the first real bit of action, so...one more to go!**

**And hey, maybe it'll end up being released sometime next weekend! If I find the time and motivation to actually sit down and write it.**

**Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks to FoxOnPie, mirakura, and kaito136 for the reviews. Also, thanks to everyone who left a favorite/follow. You guys are the best.**

**See you later!**

**-smurf**


	3. Chapter II: Héafodwærc

**DISCLAIMER: All Fate/ aspects are owned by TYPE-MOON; I am not a member of TYPE-MOON.**

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

**Chapter II: Héafodwærc**

**I kill.**

It was the same.

**I give life.**

It was _exactly the same._

**I injure.**

This inability to move, to alter her fate.

**I heal.**

_It was all the same._

**None will escape my grasp.**

Now, the darkness was moving again.

**None will escape my sight.**

She knew it was useless. She knew she would die here. Yet still she struggled.

**Be crushed.**

It devoured her, and that was it.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

Arturia woke in a panic before realizing what had just happened.

She sat up with a jolting movement, breathing heavily. Her heart was mercilessly pounding in her chest to the point that it hurt.

She glanced out the window to see the sun peeking over the horizon. It was morning, yet she felt no more rested than she had the night before.

trying in vain to wipe the sleep out of her eyes, she hopped off the bed and quickly dressed. She had to get outside and feed the animals before she got yelled at.

She was pulling the rope tight around her waist when she felt a sudden sharp pain in her head - one severe enough to cause her to fall to her knees. Her mouth opened in a silent cry as she gripped both sides of her head. The sensation of hot steel stabbing her brain ripped through her body. Red lines swam across her vision as her sight slowly faded. Then brightened. Then faded.

This cycle continued several times, slowly growing more severe each time, before suddenly stopping altogether. The red lines dissipated, and her vision returned.

She blinked a few times before attempting to stand, stumbling on the process. She was able to lean on the wall her second try, and was back on her feet inside of five minutes.

_'What was that?' _She thought to herself as she wrestled with her coat. She was so focused on trying to figure it out that, as she exited the room, she didn't notice the person knocking on the door until she was on the ground.

"Owwwww...man, it's just one after another..." Arturia said, rubbing her throbbing forehead. The person apparently didn't notice the door opening, and knocked on her head as a result.

"Oh my...I'm so sorry, Lady Arturia!" Said a young female voice. Arturia looked up to find a small girl leaning over her, hand outstretched. She wore a plain, cream-colored gown with a hood that covered her short, brown hair. The piece was about two sizes too big for her.

Arturia took her hand and pulled herself to her feet, where she stood a solid head taller than her. "It's okay. I should have watched where I was going. Good morning, Faye." She said to the servant with a smile.

"Ah...y-yes, good morning, Lady Arturia." She said with a deep bow.

_'Honestly, this girl...'_ Arturia sighed to herself. "So, what brings you up here so early?"

Faye's face was one of confusion. "Eh...but, Lady Arturia, you..." She shifted on her feet nervously, "You didn't come down to the stable this morning, so I came up to see if you were alright."

Arturia blinked a few times. She turned around and glanced out her window again. The sun was now high enough that it could no longer be seen from the window.

Wasn't it daybreak just a few minutes ago?

_'...How long was I...?'_

"Umm...Lady Arturia...I recommend getting downstairs as quickly as possible. Miss Theresa, she...doesn't seem to be too happy that you weren't there this morning..."

Arturia's eyes widened. She gave Faye a quick salutation before running down the hall and towards the stairs as quickly as possible.

Both she and Kay had several responsibilities to attend to each morning. One thing that fell under Arturia's jurisdiction was feeding the horses in the morning. While it wasn't exactly something that needed to be rushed, there was no one in all of Britain that would voluntarily face the hellish maelstrom that was a hungry heard of horses by themselves. This in mind, she descended the stairs two at a time.

_'And without me, that means Miss Theresa had to do it by herself. Oh God, I hope she's not too...'_

_CRACK_

And Arturia, for the third time today, was on the floor, clutching her throbbing head.

"Oww...this is going to be a really bad day..."

She stopped her muttering when she noticed the intensity of the glare focused on her.

Picking up her head slowly brought into her sight the same, cream-colored outfit that Faye was wearing. Except the owner of this one wore the appropriate size, minus the hood. In her hand was the remains of what seemed to be a wooden spoon.

A quick glance at the surrounding ground - splinters scattered all over it - proved Arturia's theory: Theresa was mad.

"I humbly apologize for the blunder of spectacular magnitude I have committed this morning in allowing you to feed the horses by yourself." Arturia said, having shifted her position on the ground to one of penance. "I admit my fault, and accept full responsibility for what I've do - rather, what I have failed to do."

There was a brief bit of silence.

"Well, as long as you're sorry. Don't do it again - and please clean up this mess." Theresa said in an even tone, making a vague gesture towards the ground. "After you're done, come to the kitchen. I imagine you're hungry."

Arturia blinked slowly and stared at the servant as she disappeared into the kitchen.

_'Honestly. I can never tell if she's angry or not.' _She worked her way around the floor, picking up the larger pieces of wood whilst still holding her head.

It was going to be a _very _bad day.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

After she cleaned the mess , Arturia entered the kitchen to find a simple stew prepared, as well as Theresa nowhere to be found. She threw any caution of the meal being poisoned in some way out the window once she realized how hungry she was.

She cleaned up after herself and, opting not to test her luck, quickly headed downstairs to attend to the last of her responsibilities.

Weapon and armor maintenance.

The tedious nature of sharpening, buffing, polishing, etc. meant that Arturia was alone most of the time. Kay would occasionally come down and chat if he finished with his duties early enough, but since it was already noon by the time she started, he was probably off practicing his jousting.

_'Right...the selection of the king is in five days.' _She thought as she sat, bringing the damp cloth in her hand towards the longsword on her lap. It appeared to be sharp enough so that a whetstone was not needed.

The news of the selection graced the Ector estate about two weeks prior, along with the news of the king's passing.

_'I can't say I understand why jousting is how they do it...when would a king ever find himself jousting on the battlefield? No.' _She rubbed along the length of the blade, slowly building up speed as her thoughts came faster and faster.

_'The king wouldn't have the luxury of a joust.' _

Faster.

_'He must be on the front lines. On a horse, maybe, but on the front lines nonetheless.'_

Faster.

_'He couldn't lead from the camp, formulating strategy. He wouldn't follow any customs or traditions.'_

Faster.

_'Who would follow a man like that? How could someone _lead_ like that?'_

Faster.

_'The king is someone-ah.'_

Her train of thought finally halted as the cloth was split in two, exposing her hand to the naked blade even as she pulled. Blood poured from the gash, fast and free.

Yet, there was no pain.

The only pain she felt was that in her head.

For, even if the blade had stopped _her_ thoughts...

**"The king is someone who kills everyone to protect everyone."**

...It didn't mean that the thought _itself_ stopped.

Arturia dropped both the blade and the remains of the polishing cloth as she brought her hands to her head. Blood seeped into her hair, but she didn't care. She was more focused on the _pain _in her head.

"Ah...Aaaaahhhhhhh..." She cried out quietly.

Red lines swam across her vision, more dramatically than they had in the morning. The pain, too, was worse. _Far _worse.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh..." She gasped again, falling on her side. Blood dripped across her face. Her hand began to grow numb. Yet, her focus remained on her head.

_'What the hell...'_

The pain was entirely different from the morning. It was not a pain of heat. Now, her brain felt cold - almost as if her head was freezing from the inside. Yet, at the end of the day, it didn't matter if it was hot, cold, or anything in between.

What mattered was that it _fucking hurt._

_'Wh..what is going on...what is...wrong...with me...!?'_

Arturia could barely put a coherent thought together in her absolute agony. Blood from her hand was all over her face - it stuck to her hair and mingled with the tears on the ground, of which there was no shortage of as they streamed down her face. Her ears were ringing ceaselessly, the relentless noise growing louder and louder

She tried to call out, but she simply couldn't. Every time she opened her mouth, a new surge of pain assaulted her head, gripped her throat, crushed her lungs. Even now, her breaths were becoming labored, her eyes straining to stay open, her mind struggling to stay awake, away from whatever the hell was tormenting her so.

Then, the pain began to fade.

It was slow - _very_ slow - but it was going away. Arturia focused everything she had on her lungs. As she gradually brought her breathing under control, she found that the red lines in her sight dissipated, the ringing in her ears stopped, and the pain lessened to something more manageable.

She blinked several times in a moment of déjà vu, before gently pushing herself up to a fetal position. The sharp pain she felt in her hand upon pressing it on the ground was what reminded her that she had injured herself.

She wiped the blood that had not dried off of her face before trying - and failing - to stand up. The amount of red soaked into the ground told her that she'd been lying there for quite a while.

It was there, with her face covered in blood and tears, her tunic caked in dirt, and the ground around her kneeling figure a shade of scarlet, that Kay found her.

"Kay, I-"

"What the hell happened?" He asked with wide eyes.

Arturia's mind was scrambling. "Oh, this...um, well, you see...I was just...um, polishing this blade, and my hand slipped." She held up her trembling left hand. On its palm was a large cut that ran in a straight line, a visual division of her four fingers from her thumb and the rest of the hand.

Kay's brow furrowed, but the look of concern never left his face. "Arturia, you're kneeling in a puddle of blood." He said, kneeling next to her. She refused to make eye contact. "You expect me-"

He stopped his investigation to catch his sister as she fell forward.

"Arturia? _Arturia?_" Kay jostled her around, trying to get some kind of response. Her breath was heavy, her skin was pale, and her eyes were half-closed.

"...Kay..." She muttered, eyes glassy.

"Arturia? What's wrong?"

"Don't...tell Sir Ec...tor..."

She'd never seen Kay's expression change so rapidly. His face went from concern to surprise to anger to understanding, all within a single moment.

"Arturia, Arturia, listen to me." He said, trying to keep his tone as even as possible. "I need to get someone. I don't know how to help you. How about...how about Faye? Can I get her?"

Arturia blinked. Thankfully, Kay seemed to have figured out what she wanted.

"That's...fine..." She said, before closing her eyes.

Whatever Kay said afterwards was lost on her.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

Arturia was laying in her bed, sheets pulled up just beneath her nose.

After she'd passed out in the armory, Kay rushed through the halls of the estate in looking for the tiny servant. Luckily, Faye was the first one she ran into. With maturity far beyond her years, she managed to convince both Theresa and Ector to go to mass with Kay and leave Arturia behind - she'd made up some illness on the spot, and since she had the superior medical knowledge in the house, it'd worked. Arturia was able to recover, and Ector was none the wiser to her plight.

She swallowed hard as she thought of her father. She didn't really want to hide what was going on from anyone, but she had no choice. The proving was in five days, and she was Kay's squire. If word got out to anyone that Kay's squire was weak, or sick, or _anything_, he'd have no shot.

And if that happened, she would never be able to live with herself.

She sighed and rolled on her side, pulling the sheets with her. Her prediction was right - it _was _a pretty bad day.

What was wrong with her? Missing morning duties, getting scolded, and nearly bleeding out because of a simple mistake? What kind of squire would act so shamefully?

_'No, that's not right,' _she shook her head. _'forget that. What about those headaches? That nightmare? And...'_

She stopped. Those were things she still hadn't told anyone - Kay was not going to miss the proving because of her, no matter what.

...But come to think of it, would Kay even be the right choice for king?

_'The king is someone who kills everyone to protect everyone, huh...' _Arturia recalled the words that preceded her - for lack of a better term - attack.

Were they really her true thoughts on the matter?

_'A king should protect his people, sure...but still...killing everyone else to do it?' _The words troubled her, more than she wanted to admit.

Because, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't bring herself to believe that they were false.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

** Well, that didn't work so well. Here, let's try this - next chapter will be released November 19th of next year. That way, I can say that it came early no matter what.**

**And yes, I just did that. Digital cookie for whoever can figure out what 'that' is.**

**ACTION NEXT CHAPTER, I SWEAR.**

**As always, questions + comments are appreciated. Thanks to mirakura for the review, as well as everyone else who fav/followed. You guys are the best!**

**God þē mid sīe!**

**-smurf**


	4. Chapter III: Stelan Mægenþise

**DISCLAIMER: All Fate/ aspects are owned by TYPE-MOON; I am not a member of TYPE-MOON.**

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

**Chapter III: Stelan Mægenþise**

Kay ran as fast as he could. He had to. The bastards killed both their horses.

He leaped the stream in his path in a single bound, and he knew he was almost there.

How could he be so stupid? How could he let this happen? He _knew_ she was troubled. He _knew_ she wasn't one hundred percent, so why?

_'And two days till the proving, too. Dammit, I'm such an idiot!'_

Finally, the estate came into view. With the last of his strength, Kay willed himself to cross the remaining distance - about a hundred yards. Even with all the physical training he did as a knight, it was a sprint that left him completely devoid of breath by the time he reached the door.

He stood, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. After a few seconds, he raised his uninjured arm and banged on the door with what strength he had left, shouting: "Ector! Ector! Help!"

A few moments later, Kay heard the door being unlatched from the other side. He stopped banging just as it swung open.

"Kay!? Kay, what's wrong?" He heard Faye ask from the open door.

Kay held up his hand. He was still catching his breath. He swallowed once, twice, before standing upright, still breathing heavily.

"Where's Ector?" He asked.

"H-he's in the study. What's-"

"I'm right here." Ector called out from across the courtyard, Theresa right behind him. He'd apparently heard the commotion and came to see what was wrong. "What's wrong, what happened? Where's Arturia?"

"Sir Ector, I...I tried, I really...did..." Kay said between breaths. He was clearly pretty upset.

The old knight grabbed his son by his shoulders. "Calm down. What happened?"

Kay took one last breath before saying what he needed to.

"We were...attacked. Some...some bandits or something. Arturia-"

"Where is she?" Ector asked. Now _he_ was sounding desperate.  
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Kay shook his head. "They took her. I...I tried to stop them...but I..."

The group all fell into silence. Kay looked at the ground in shame. Faye looked completely distraught. Theresa was calm, but put out a silent aura of rage.

And Ector's face was that of a man with a plan.

"Okay. Kay, come in and rest. Then tell us everything that happened." He said, leading his son into the house.

Kay nodded, but said nothing. The four slowly traversed the courtyard before eventually making it to the study.

Bookshelves lined the walls, illuminated by the tall candelabra scattered around. In the center of the room was a round table with four chairs, one in each cardinal direction. The east chair was on its side - knocked over in Ector's rush to get to the gate.

Ector guided Kay to the west chair before setting his chair upright. The four of them sat near simultaneously.

"Alright, then." Ector said, resting his head on a bridge of his hands. "Tell us what happened."

Kay looked down at the table briefly before looking at his father once again. There was something new in his eyes - a look of determination.

"Okay."

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

"So, what's wrong?'

Kay looked over his shoulder at the girl behind him. Though her horse kept up with his, it was clear that her mind was somewhere else.

"Hmm?" She suddenly raised her head and made eye contact.

Kay slowed his horse so the two of them were right next to each other. "I said, what's wrong?"

"Oh." she said before looking away. The pair was now atop a small hill, giving them a fairly broad view of the surrounding countryside. Arturia stopped her horse and gazed at the beautiful landscape before them. Kay followed her gaze and did the same.

The sun was high in the sky - only just past noon. Before them was a brilliant scene. The hills of green stretched all the way to the forest, about a mile or two out. Just before the edge of said forest was a large town, with a dominating spire - the castle - right in the middle. A little ways away from the town, parallel to the forest, was Ector's estate. Several other estates dotted the landscape, some quite large. Above them was a beautiful, blue sky, with just the right amount of clouds scattered about. The whole thing looked like the work of a master artist, as opposed to a piece of the earth.

"I had a dream." Arturia said timidly.

Kay broke his gaze from the town, a slight smirk on his face. "Didn't we already do this?"

She smiled. "Yes. Yes, we did." She fidgeted with her coat before surveying the landscape once more. Kay looked at her for a bit longer before doing the same.

It truly was a spectacular sight.

"It's the same dream." Arturia started again.

Kay responded in the affirmative with a nod.

"I...I'm surrounded by this darkness. Everywhere around me. I can't see anything, and I can't move either."

"Okay." He nodded, trying to tell her to continue without pushing it.

"Then, I hear this chant. I don't know who's saying it, but it's the same every night."

"Do you know the chant?"

Arturia shook her head. "No. I only ever hear it in these dreams."

"Do you remember how it goes?" He asked.

"Yes, I do. Umm..." Arturia thought for a moment. "I think it goes, 'I kill, I give life, I injure, I heal. No one escapes my grasp, no one escapes my sight'." She then added, with a much more muted tone "'Be crushed'."

"I...see." Kay said. Although, he hardly saw anything. "I can't say I've ever heard of it."

"And while the chant goes on, the darkness...moves around. It covers me, really slowly, and once it covers me completely, I wake up." Arturia had a look somewhere between recollection and terror. Probably a mixture of both.

"And that's it?"

She shook her head. "No, far from it. The dream ends there, but there are...other things."

Kay readjusted himself in his saddle. "Well, You've already started. What else?"

Arturia looked down with a difficult expression. "I...have headaches. Really bad ones."

"Headaches?"

"They started the day after the first nightmare." She continued, "And they...hurt. So much. They come in different intervals. Sometimes, they only last a few seconds, but the first one I had lasted at least a few hours."

"This has been going on...since your first nightmare? What was that, three days ago?" Kay asked, concern clear in his voice.

"Four, actually." Arturia said, "The worst one was the day you found me in the armory."

"Oh, yes, that's right. But..." Kay went quiet in brief recollection. "Wait, your head _bleeds_!?"

Arturia quickly backtracked: "Oh, nonononono. I cut my hand, and I was holding my head. The blood from my hand got in my hair and all over my face."

The relief that Kay felt was understandably minor. "Why haven't you told anyone? Come to think of it, didn't you tell me to hide it from Ector when I found you?"

"I...didn't want to worry anyone if I didn't have to."

Kay was still confused. "I get that, but why?"

Arturia looked down in shame. "I...I am your squire. You can't go to the proving with a defective squire." She confessed.

Kay felt like he'd been struck full force in the chest.

_'She endured...for such a reason?!'_

"Arturia, listen to me." Kay hopped off his horse and walked over to hers, "First of all, you are not defective. You're probably just sick or something. Secondly, you have no idea how angry I am that you would suffer over something so...so...ridiculous!"

"Kay?" Arturia asked. Her eyes had the slightest hint of tears forming at the edges.

"I know I have a snowball's chance in hell of being chosen as king. I have laughable skill at one-on-one, and my jousting is only decent! Besides that, I'm too young!" Kay couldn't figure out if he was more mad at his sister or at himself.

"B-but you've worked so hard..." Her eyes were now lined with full-blown tears.

"Arturia, you're my sister. You're more important to me than some stupid throne. Besides, how could I have possibly given my all to the proving if I saw that you were suffering so that I could do it?!" He wasn't shouting, but Kay had clearly grown very passionate during his speech.

For a long time afterwards, there were no words. The sound of Arturia softly sobbing, and the sight of Kay pacing heatedly back and forth.

After a couple of minutes, Kay walked back up to his sister. "Okay, that's better."

Arturia stopped crying and wiped her eyes. She looked up at her brother, eyes filled with both tears and confusion.

"You got it all out, I got it all out, and that's it. No more. So now, let's start fresh again." Kay smiled at her. "Let's tell each other when something is bothering us, okay?"

Arturia looked at the ground, golden hair covering her eyes. She sniffled once more and wiped her nose before making eye contact with Kay. This time, wearing a radiant smile. "Okay." She said happily.

Kay would have smiled too, if he wasn't suddenly startled by the crashing sound behind him.

He turned to find his horse on its side. Dead. An arrow clean through its eyes.

"Ahh..." Arturia gasped from behind.

Kay turned just fast enough to see his sister fall backwards off her horse, something sticking out of her neck.

_'An ambush?! From where?!' _The thought came to him the instant an arrow grazed his right shoulder. He turned as fast as he could to try to locate his assailant.

He was never able to figure out where it came from, because the blow he received to his head was just enough to knock him out cold.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

"When I came to, Arturia and her horse were both gone. I had no idea how long I was out, so I just ran as fast as I could to get back. I...I'm sorry I was so useless."

An atmosphere of complete tranquility enveloped the table. Theresa was over by a bookshelf, flipping through the pages of an encyclopedia. Ector was pacing around the room, head facing the ground. Faye remained in her seat, a distraught look on her face.

"I have failed her as a father and as a knight." Ector finally said. This prompted a surprised look from the two still seated.

"Sir Ector, it is I who have failed." Kay said suddenly, a hint of shock in his voice.

"No, the blame lies on me. I didn't even notice that my own child was suffering. Alas, the blame game is one we shall play another day. Once we've found our missing squire." He stopped pacing and leaned on the bookshelf behind him.

"S-so, you have a plan?" Faye asked hopefully.

Ector seemed to deflate ever so slightly. "Outside of rounding up a search party and looking for her, no. But I will not simply wait and hope for the best either."

Kay stood immediately. "Then it's best we go now, right? Every second we waste may be a second too many."

"Yes, I agree." Ector vigorously nodded. "Let's head to the town; see if we can't round-up a band while the sun's still up." A quick glance out the window showed that it was approaching sunset.

Kay and Faye nodded once at each other before swiftly exiting the room.

"Theresa, read that later! This is no time for...wait, what are you doing?"

Theresa was still by the same bookshelf, reading the same book. A difficult look graced her otherwise neutral expression. "Perchance, Ector, do you remember the wording of the _K__ύριε ελέησον_?"

The question confused Ector. "Kyrie Eleison? You mean the chant that's said in mass?"

Theresa shook her head. "Not quite. The version used in mass is not the full chant."

"The full chant?"

Theresa gently nodded before holding out the book in her hands. "Look here, this is the first line."

Ector brought his gaze to the text in front of him. The words that he saw were not those of his mother tounge. They read: Έχω σκοτώσει. Δίνω ζωή. Έχω τραυματίσει. Έχω επουλωθούν. Κανένας θα ξεφύγει από κρατάτε μου. Κανένας θα ξεφύγουν από όψεως μου. Να συνθλίβονται.

"Theresa, this is hardly the time for a lesson in Greek! If you're going to say something, say it!" Ector was losing his patience.

"I kill. I give life. I injure. I heal. None will escape my grasp. None will escape my sight. Be crushed." Theresa pushed off the wall. "That's a rough translation. Sound familiar?"

Ector blinked.

That was Arturia's nightmare.

"Theresa, what exactly is Kyrie Eleison?" He asked.

She passed by the old night, stopping once she reached the door frame before answering ominously.

"The chant of an exorcism."

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

Pain.

Pain, and darkness.

Those were the only things going through her head.

Yet, it wasn't her head that hurt. It was her body.

Her muscles ached, as if she'd been out in the cold for far too long.

Why did it hurt so much? She tried moving.

It wasn't much, but she was able to move slightly. She felt the sensation of rope digging into her wrists and ankles. The cold air she felt through her tunic made it clear that she also no longer had her coat.

_'Well that's just great.' _She thought to herself. _'What happened?'_

It took her a moment, but she quickly remembered the events of the past few hours.

Riding in the countryside with Kay.

The talk they had.

The promise they made.

Falling off her horse, and passing out.

And then...

_'Then...'_

What happened next?

"No." She heard a voice from behind.

She froze.

_'Who...is that?'_

Her mind raced. There was someone behind her-

"Nope."

Scratch that, at least _two_ people - probably more - that she didn't know.

"Hmmm..." Came a third voice.

Who were they? What did they do to her?

"Jack, it's not the answer to life. It's yes or no." Came yet another voice. Four in total.

_'What should...should I ask for help? No, they're probably why I'm in this situation.'_

"Okay then. Yes." The third voice again.

_'Yes? Yes what? What are they doing? Should I...yes, I'll pretend I'm unconscious. Maybe...but what if they...oh God, what if they _already_ did something?'_

Arturia's mind was whirling. She couldn't see behind her, but she spent enough time around knights to know where tension was present. And behind her was a veritable maelström of tension. Who were these men? What did they do to her? What were they _going_ to do to her? Then...

"Full house." The third voice said.

"Four of a kind." The fourth voice responded.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" The sound of a chair knocking over echoed through the small room as someone - presumably the third voice - suddenly stood.

The other two broke into laughter.

_'...'_

Arturia wasn't sure if she was supposed to feel relieved or not.

"Calm down, Jack. I was just lucky."

"Yeah, I don't know about that." the third voice replied, still very heated. "Probably used some magical bullshit."

Another laugh. "I don't know about that. Anyway, how much longer do we need to wait?"

"One more day." Said another voice. "Tomorrow, at sunrise."

"T-t-tomorrow? So w-we have her f-f-for the whole night?" someone stammered out.

Arturia cringed ever so slightly.

"Hey, none of that." The first voice said. "I'm not taking another fucking cut because you can't control yourself."

There was a discontented grumble, then silence.

"Alright, I think that's enough for tonight. Whose keeping watch?"

"How bout you, Rich? They always _love_ you so much." The first voice said.

Two voices snickered.

"That's fine with me." The fourth voice, "Go get some rest. We leave at first light, right?"

Three grumbles in the affirmative. After a few more pleasantries, there was the sound of a door closing. Then a long sigh, and the sound of someone sitting in a chair.

"You're awake, right?" The voice said. It was the fourth voice from earlier - Rich, was it?

Arturia tensed slightly. Was he talking to her.

"Hey, you're not gagged. Speak up. Are you awake?"

Yeah, he was talking to her.

Arturia didn't move. She wasn't about to do what some mysterious man said to. What would happen if she answered?

"Alright, then. I'll just talk to myself." The voice sounded like it was closer than before. The sound and sensation of footsteps confirmed this.

Arturia felt a breath on the back of her neck. She shuddered.

"You _are_ beautiful." The man said quietly.

Arturia couldn't help but tremble ever so slightly. She was too scared to try to act.

Then, the man stood up and started talking to himself: "It's a shame I've got to do something like this. Take girls from their homes, sell them off." His voice grew more faint as he walked across the room. "I tell ya, I never wanted in on this shtick. Hate everything about it. Buuut, it puts food on the table, so it's not like I can do anything about it." She heard him sit back in a chair.

Arturia couldn't decide what emotion she felt the most. Fear was there, certainly. But there was also anger. Regret. Pity. And...something else...

"AAH!" She suddenly cried out. Red lines swam across her vision.

"Oh, so you _are_ awake." The voice said from behind. "Looks like you're in quite a bit of pain there. Your head hurt?"

Arturia clenched her teeth. Why now, of all times!?

"Here, let me help." he said. Arturia felt his hand on the back of her neck and shivered at his icy touch.

Then, she felt a tremendous amount of pressure. And pain.

She opened her mouth to scream, but fell unconscious before she could do so.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

**Aaaaaaaaand there you go. Action.**

**AND I'M EARLY! JUST AS I PREDICTED!**

**Arturia may seem like a helpless damsel in distress right now, but don't worry. That will change soon. _Very _soon. Like, next chapter soon.**

**Questions, comments, always appreciated! Thanks to mirakura and the guest rokt for the reviews, as well as a big thanks to everyone who fav/followed. You guys are the BEST.**

**See y'all next time! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  
><strong>

**-smurf**


	5. Chapter IV: Cwealm

**DISCLAIMER: All Fate/ aspects are owned by TYPE-MOON; I am not a member of TYPE-MOON.**

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.**

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

**Chapter IV: Cwealm**

**I kill.**

She was dreaming again.

**I give life.**

_'I...oh that's right.'_

**I injure.**

_'I was kidnapped. That man knocked me out.'_

**I heal.**

She sighed. It's amazing how quickly she'd grown use to the dream.

**None will escape my grasp.**

As predicted, the darkness began to slowly cover her.

**None will escape my sight.**

She shivered under the darkness. Even if she'd grown accustomed to it, it was still an unpleasant feeling.

She closed her eyes, anticipating the grotesque yet inevitable feeling of being engulfed by this...thing.

She waited.

And waited.

And...waited?

Why was she waiting?

She opened her eyes. The absolute darkness still surrounded her.

Yet, the...thing...that always swallowed her up her had stopped. At least, that's what it felt like. She could feel the icy sensation from her feet to her jaw.

_'So, why...?'_

She looked down, and saw a sight that she was not expecting. The darkness had covered her, sure. However, the darkness wasn't a formless mass like she'd anticipated.

Instead, what was on her was some kind of cross between clothing and armor. She brought her hands to her face to see them inside of a pair of black gauntlets. She opened and closed her hands several times, and couldn't help but feel that they had a strong resemblance to claws. She looked past her hands at the breastplate.

There, in the center of her chest, was a red light. A light that pulsed as if it was a heartbeat, sending light across all parts of her body in thin red lines.

She couldn't honestly say she didn't expect a connection between her headaches and her dreams, but it was still...well, unsettling.

"Remarkable..."

That...was not her voice.

She lifted her gaze. There was nothing there. She was still surrounded by the darkness that had grown so familiar to her this past week.

"Who's...is someone there?" She called out.

"Not really, no." replied the voice.

She couldn't make out the voice's point of origin, and began to quickly scan her surroundings.

"I told you, I'm not really here. Just an observer, is all." The voice said.

"I...oh, that makes sense."

That did make sense. It was here dream, wasn't it? Why would somebody else be a part of it?

"So then...who are you?" She asked.

She heard a quiet chuckle before the voice answered cryptically, "I don't think you have the right to ask that question."

"What? What does that mean?"

"Well, answer me this, girl. Who are you?"

The question caught her off guard. "I...no, I asked first-"

"Answer the question." The voice interrupted, a new, harsher layer to its tone.

She fell silent. Just who was she talking to?

"I am Arturia. Daughter of Sir Ector, lord of Caer Gal."

"That's incorrect." The voice replied curtly.

She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut short by the man's immediate follow-up.

"You are adopted, yes?" The voice asked. The tone made it rather clear that it already knew the answer.

"Yes, I am," She replied. "But that does not make me any less of a child of Sir Ector than-"

"Do you know who your father is?" The voice asked.

She stopped. It was a question that she always wanted to know.

_'I don't know.' _she remembered Ector telling her when she asked him. _'You appeared on my doorstep one night. I didn't see anyone drop you off either.'_

"No, I...I do not."

"Do you know why this is happening?"

"...Why what is happening?" She briefly hesitated with her response.

The voice didn't speak. This was a different kind of silence. One that seemed more..._tense_.

Suddenly, the darkness rippled.

It was brief, but incredibly noticeable. For the most fleeting of moments, the darkness had a definite texture to it.

Then, the world seemed to rip apart. The darkness tore around her and dissolved into thousands of pieces.

Now, everything was bathed in white.

It was the exact opposite of the world she knew from the past week. Everything was the purest of white, no matter where she looked.

And standing in front of her was a lone figure, veiled in robes of white. Practically camouflage with the setting.

"The dreams, Arturia. Why do you think you've had such dreams?" The man asked.

She blinked at the man now before her. The man who had just remade the world - _her_ world - before her eyes without the slightest hint of effort.

Somehow, she found herself unable to respond.

The man sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you. Now pay attention." He folded his hands behind his back before speaking.

"It's the element." he said, "It doesn't want to submit itself to you."

She stared at the man in utter confusion. "The what?" she asked.

"I suppose it isn't all that surprising, now that I think about it. It did come from a more noble specimen." He though aloud as he paced. "Anyway, the element doesn't want to submit itself to someone with your mental state, it seems. Because of that, it's been trying to purify you instead of activating like it should."

"Wait, wait, wait." She said rapidly as she shook her head. "What? What is this element? Why must I be purified? Who are you, who knows all this?"

The man ceased pacing.

"First answer: Element of the Red Dragon. Second answer: Take a look at yourself." He replied in monotone.

"Ele-what? And what do you mean...?" Whatever she was going to ask died in her throat as she looked down.

She still wore the armor. Her chest still pulsed with the same repulsive red light.

And from within that light, she felt a presence.

It was a presence that she'd felt the entire week. One that had surrounded her, engulfed her, night after night. One that radiated an absolute darkness. A presence that she'd come to fear, to dread, to...accept.

It was her _own_ presence.

"As for the third answer, I will repeat myself in saying that you do not have the right to ask of me my identity until you know your own. So, I'll ask you again," the man spoke as he closed the distance between them, "Who are you?"

She felt her legs give out beneath her as she fell to whatever constituted the ground in this place.

She brought her hands back to her face. They looked repulsive in the gauntlets. Bestial. _Insane_.

_'Who...am I?_

_Who am I?!' _Familiar lines of red appeared in her vision.

_'Who am I?!' _She felt those animal hands grasp at her skull.

_'WHAT AM I!?'_

_'WHO AM I!?'_

"Calm down." The man said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It was a rhetorical question. I don't expect you to know the answer just yet."

She was shaking, grasping the sides of her head in anticipation of the pain to come. The red lines had never meant anything but.

And yet...

As the man held her shoulder...

The pain didn't come.

"Here, let me help you. Get up." She heard his voice command.

Slowly, she let go of her head and uneasily got to her feet. She stood upright, but was still unable to tear her eyes from the light on her chest.

"Look into this." The man said.

She did as he said, and saw before her some kind of mirror.

"Look, and see what you really are."

She looked to the man. It was the first time she'd gotten a good look at him. The hooded robes hid all features of his face from view, save for his smooth chin and obvious smirk on his lips.

She decided right then and there that she didn't like this man.

Still, she listened to him. She turned herself around, and looked into the mirror.

But what she saw...

_'...What? What is...'_

Then, the headache returned. With a vengeance. Everything went dark as a pain unparalleled by anything she'd ever experienced assaulted her brain.

It would prove to be the last dream she would have for a while. However, even as time passed, and her memories of those dreams grew more and more vivid...

She would never forget the sight she saw in that mirror.

The sight of two golden eyes glaring back at her.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

By the time the members of Ector's estate made it into the town, the sun had already set. The marketplace only had a few stray animals bobbing and weaving through the empty stands, and the plaza was empty.

"I think we're a little late." Theresa chimed in from the back.

"You're not helping." Kay shot back at her.

"But she's right, there's no one here." Faye reconfirmed with a sweeping gesture.

"Then we go somewhere else. Faye and Theresa, you go to the inn. There's bound to be some people there. Kay, you come with me. We're going to the outpost - see if we can't rally the guard." Ector commanded, knightly instincts having already taken over.

"Sure thing. Let's go." Theresa murmured, slapping Faye on the back before heading further into town.

Faye yelped before following in suit, leaving the two men alone in the plaza.

"Come on, let's not waste time." Ector headed opposite of the two maids.

"Yeah, sure." Kay said.

The men traveled to the outpost mostly in silence. Despite being of a ripe age, Ector's riding skills had not diminished at all since his days as a knight.

"Ector, I want to apologize again for being so incompetent." Kay called out. No matter how many times he was forgiven, he still didn't feel right. When it comes down to it, the current situation was his fault.

"The only thing you're guilty of is not telling me my daughter was suffering earlier." Ector responded. "As for this whole fiasco, we'll talk more when we get her back."

Kay could only nod. The rest of their run was relatively peaceful. In no time at all, they made it to the outpost - an imposing, round tower of stone.

Kay practically leapt from his horse. Ector took a little more time in his dismount. Together the pair knocked on the heavy wooden door.

Within a minute, the door swung open, revealing an imposing man in full armor.

"Good evening, Sir Ector. What brings you here this hour?" The guard asked.

"Good evening. I must speak with the captain. It is urgent." Ector replied.

The guard looked over the two men. "I feared as much, given the time. What manner of business do you have with the captain?"

"My daughter, Arturia. She's been kidnapped. Please, get the captain. I need as many men as possible if I am to find her."

The guard's eyes widened briefly. "Very well sir, I will do that. Please wait inside, I will try to get the captain down here as fast as I can." He stepped aside and ushered the men in.

"Thank you, truly." Kay said. The guard took off as the pair sat a a small table in the middle of the room.

The captain arrived within minutes, no fewer than a dozen men behind him.

"Ector, you look like shit. Is it true?" He asked.

Ector nodded.

"Then I am truly sorry. This is everyone I could muster at the moment, but more will be ready in a few hours, should we not find her by then."

"Good, then there's no time to waste. We must join up with whoever Theresa and Faye have gotten and depart immediately." Ector said.

The captain nodded, and the fourteen men left the tower.

By the time they reached the gates, there was a crowd, at least thirty strong, waiting for them. Many had torches and pitchforks, although a few were more properly armed. However, there were only a handful of horses among them.

"How the hell do they do that?" Kay asked, bewildered.

"No idea. Ask them yourself, sometime." Ector responded.

The two groups merged, and departed for the hills.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

Arturia's eyes flew open.

Sweat lay heavy on her brow, her breathing erratic and frantic.

No amount of rapid blinking was enough to erase the lines that clouded her vision.

One by one, the lines began branching outward. Like tiny rivers of blood, they slowly multiplied until her field of vision was completely veiled in red.

Her jaw trembled as her breathing became even more labored. From within, she felt like she was being ripped apart.

She softly cried out in pain as the sensation grew worse and worse. It was almost as if something was eating her alive.

Then, she felt it.

An overwhelming surge of energy.

Starting in her abdomen, a wave of power flowed through every bone, muscle, and organ she had. The pain dissolved almost instantaneously as she felt her entire body grow substantially lighter.

_"_What the hell..." Arturia muttered to herself.

She looked down at herself, but the lack of light paired with the condition of her eyes made it difficult to see anything. At the very least, she didn't _feel_ injured.

She did her best to make out her surroundings beyond the red tint her eyes gave them. Damp stones surrounded her on three sides. Directly in front of her was the only source of light she could find: the narrow gap beneath the door, light from the adjacent room filtering through it.

First thing was first: she had to get out of here.

She tried to stand, only to fall flat on her face. Her hands and feet were still bound to each other.

"Dammit...Won't work, but what else can I do..." She struggled with the rope, trying to break free with pure force.

Sure enough, the ropes snapped almost immediately.

_'...Huh? That's not suppose to happen...' _She took the rope in her hands and started to feel along its length. Surely, it must have been pretty old and weak, right?

Well, she couldn't tell anything for sure in the darkness, but it certainly didn't _feel_ like anything was wrong with it.

_'Well, plus for me.' _Arturia thought to herself as she got down on all fours, peeking out from the bottom of the door. It was hard to tell for sure, but the lone shadow proved that there was definitely at least one person in the adjacent room.

She took a deep breath, and gently pushed on the door. It didn't budge. A quick search with her hands revealed no doorknob or handle of any kind.

_'Locked?' _she pushed a little harder.

The door creaked quietly.

She smiled. It was stuck, not locked.

Now the question was how to open the door without drawing the attention of whoever was outside.

_'Pushing it quietly doesn't move it...maybe, a distraction of some sort?...No, that wouldn't work. What distraction could I do?' _Arturia racked her brain for an answer, but couldn't find one.

She sighed deeply. "I'm gonna hate myself for this..."

She stood up, put as much distance between her and the door as she could (not much), and kicked the door as hard as she could.

The door splintered as it broke free from its hinges, before crashing flat on the ground with a resounding _thud._

_'...What is going on here? What is...'_

Her thoughts stopped as she made eye contact with the only other person in the room, although the all-encompassing veil of red made it difficult to make out the finer details of his person. He was sitting in a chair with a book in his hands. A small fire pit illuminated his face from the center of the room. His clothing was among the most basic there was, which he wore in conjunction with the bewildered look in his eyes.

In short, he looked nothing like she'd imagined.

There was a brief silence between the two before the man spoke.

"Holy shit, you're something else." He said as he closed the book he held. The light of the fire reflected off the gilded lettering on its spine: _The Mad Emperor, _it read.

The man stood from his chair, placing the book where he sat. After this, however, he didn't move.

Arturia gritted her teeth. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something she _really_ didn't like about this man.

"How do I get out of here?" She asked in a commanding tone.

The man's face remained completely expressionless. Not a word left his lips. Instead, he simply folded his hands behind him.

She _really didn't like _this man.

"Answer me." She said, taking a few steps forward.

"Now now, no need to get feisty." the man replied calmly, pointing to his right. "The door's right there."

Arturia's face remained expressionless. "What, that's it? You won't try to stop me?"

The man shook his head, a slight smile on his face, as he gave an exaggerated shrug.

God, he was really _pissing her off._

"You were bound pretty securely in that closet, yet here you stand. You broke the ropes that held you, and kicked down the door to boot. I'm not going to try and stop someone so clearly beyond my abilities." He still spoke with an even, somewhat arrogant tone.

Arturia didn't move. She felt something dripping down her hand. She looked down to find her hand clenched in a fist, fingernails digging into her palm.

"Well, don't let either of us waste any more time. Go on, off with you." The man said.

That did it.

Somehow, someway.

An ordinary sentence, said by an ordinary man.

A sentence that sent Arturia over the edge.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

Kay was alone. His group had fallen behind quite a while ago.

It was inadvisable, to say the least.

However, his sister's life was probably on the line. He wasn't going to take it slow for the sake of staying in groups. Regardless of the obvious danger present in the act of travelling alone, through a forest known to be thick with bandits, he would do whatever he could to find Arturia as fast as he could.

No matter the risk. No matter the cost.

Because, she was family.

_'If only I still had my horse.' _He thought to himself as he ducked under another branch. He'd opted to leave his horse at the edge of the woods, for the trees were too thick for speedy travel on horseback. Even so, a horse could probably have still outrun him. There was also the matter of how he would bring Arturia back if, heaven forbid, she was injured. Or worse.

Kay shook his head. _'No. I'll bring her back. And she'll be fine. I know it.' _He told himself once again. She would be fine, no doubt. She was _his _squire - she could handle herself.

He high-hurdled a small stream as he ran. Looking for something, _anything_, that could help him find her.

It wasn't the best strategy, as the light from his torch only illuminated what was close to him. Besides, he was more or less running blind. The torch barely illuminated the shadows around him.

His fatigue was finally starting to catch up with him, but he wouldn't stop. His legs grew heavier, his breathing grew more labored, and his strides became shorter. Yet, still he ran.

In the end, however, he was but a man. He could not run forever. He took two more strides before abruptly stopping and falling on his knees, trying feverishly to catch his breath.

"Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT." He silently cursed himself between breaths. "Is...this all I can do?"

As the fates would decree, it was not the end of his struggle.

For at that moment, he looked up, and saw a streak of black extending vertically across the sky, blotting out several stars.

"That's..." Kay rose immediately, spirit reinvigorated. Though he was tired, he now had some semblance of heading.

He turned in the direction of the smoke trail and began running once more.

"Come on, Arturia...please be okay..." He pleaded to no one in particular.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

Arturia went full feral.

The intensity of the red she saw increased tenfold as she leapt across the room.

The man's eyes grew wide, and he brought up his hands in panic.

It was to no avail. Arturia crashed into him full force, sending the two of them hard onto the stone floor.

Her eyes widened with fury as she wrapped her hands around his neck and applied a tremendous amount of pressure.

The man grabbed and clawed at her hands, scratching them till they bled. This only served to infuriate her further, and she smashed his head into the ground once. Twice.

Arturia lost herself completely as she squeezed harder and harder, ignoring the small cracking sounds that were amplifying in volume with each second.

The man's eyes were bulging out of their sockets. Saliva dribbled from his lips as blood streamed from the back of his head. He'd stopped clawing at her, and was now trying to pull her arms off by their wrists.

Arturia would have none of it.

She increased the pressure of her right hand as she loosened her left. Then, she positioned her left thumb above his bulging windpipe, and pushed in as hard as she could.

The thumb pierced the man's neck as blood and hot air gushed from his new wound. The choking sounds the man had made were now coming from the hole, mixed in with a gut-wrenching gurgling noise.

His body began convulsing as Arturia pushed her thumb further and further into his throat. It reached something hard, and she knew she'd reached his spine.

With one motion, she yanked her bloodied left hand from his neck before bringing it back down in a fist with tremendous force. A sickening _crack_ resonated through the room as his spine shattered under the blow.

The man lurched once more before ceasing to move forever.

Arturia breathed heavily as she sat on the man's chest. She slowly withdrew her hand from the bloody mess that it had created. Two of her fingers were broken. Shallow scratches covered her forearms, although a few of them ran deeper than others. Both injuries oozed the red liquid that covered a good portion of the floor.

She stood. Her legs were shaky, but she managed to stay on her feet. She took a glance around the room, doing her best to avoid looking at her handiwork.

Four walls of stone, a wood roof with a single smoke hole. Three doors: The one she'd come from, the one the man said led outside, and one more. In the middle of the room was the fire pit. Next to it was the chair, with the book still on it.

She quietly walked to the third door, the one which led to somewhere she didn't know. She put her ear up to it.

From the other side of the door came three sets of snores. The rest of the men were asleep.

She stepped back from the door, and looked to her left. There stood the door that led outside.

Keeping her expression completely neutral, she walked over to the fire pit, stepping on the corpse in the process.

She stuck her hand in the fire, ignoring the pain as she pulled out what she wanted.

A fire iron, its tip heated to a red-hot hue.

She turned, and looked once more at the door outside.

Then, she walked back to the third door, stepping on the corpse once again.

She grabbed the door's handle, silently turned it, and entered.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

He made it.

He was winded beyond belief. His legs were screaming at him. He could no longer feel his face against the frigid winter air.

But still, he made it.

Kay leaned against his knees in front of the small shack. A wave of nausea and bodily revolt assaulted him. He focused on slowing his breathing, and eventually, he regained himself enough to stand upright.

He looked at the shack. It was a tiny building made of stone that sat in the middle of a small clearing. There was no sign of any nearby caves, and the path in front of the door looked like it was rarely traveled.

In short, it could be nothing but a bandit hut.

Kay swallowed, and drew his sword. Twenty meters stood between him and the front door.

He steeled his resolve, and took the first step.

His palms were sweaty. His throat was dry. But he would not stop.

Fifteen meters remained.

He stumbled, but did not fall. He would not fall here. Not while he was so close.

Ten more meters.

He was scared. It was as simple as that. Scared of who might be behind that door. Scared of what may have happened to his sister while she was missing. Scared of how he would live with himself if she didn't..._couldn't_...come back.

Then, at five meters, the door swung open.

Kay froze.

A figure stepped out from the doorway.

It was a woman. No, a girl.

She was a little on the short side, but rather normal as far as girls went.

She had radiant blond hair.

Her eyes were colored a muted gold.

And from the neck down, she was soaked in blood.

Then, she fell. Almost as if she was in slow motion.

"Arturia!" Kay dropped his sword and ran to her, catching her in a slide just before she reached the ground.

She looked up at him with half-closed eyes.

"Jesus, what..." Kay could barely speak. "What happened to you?"

She only smiled. "Kay...I'm tired...take me home, please." Her voice was frail. As if she would vanish any second.

Kay nodded furiously and picked her up, carrying her bridal style. He was beyond words.

At a slow but steady pace, he retraced his steps through the forest. Sometime during the trip, Arturia fell asleep.

The siblings reunited with the rest of their family within the hour.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

** HOLY FUCK THAT TOOK FOREVER.**

**This was easily the hardest chapter to write so far. Not in the "Damn, this content is hard to write" sense, mind you. It was more in the "Damn, how the hell do I word this part?" sense. Which, of course, is a lot harder to get past. But hey, 4800+ words! Looks like I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. Finally.**

**So, that's pretty much it for the backstory. Next chapter, we'll get to something a little more...familiar.**

**With that out of the way, I have a semi-special (not really) announcement to make! I've opened up a new poll on my page!**

**Simple stuff, really. Do you guys and gals prefer the Fourth War or the Fifth War? Nothing too serious. Just a simple question. It won't influence any of my stories in the future at all. Really. Not at all. For sure.**

**Let's see if you can spot the Fate/ reference in this chapter! And since no one has mentioned it yet, the reference in the first chapter as well...Virtual cookie if you can!**

**Questions, comments, are always appreciated. Thanks to mirakura, King Artorius, Yami Mizumi, and the guest rokt for the reviews. Also, thanks to everyone who favorited/followed since the last chapter. You guys are the best!**

**I'm gonna stop pretending to be multicultural and just end this like I always will from now on. **

**Till next time!**

**-smurf**


	6. Chapter V: Beaduléoma Beinnan Stán

**DISCLAIMER: All Fate/ aspects are owned by TYPE-MOON; I am not a member of TYPE-MOON.**

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

**Chapter V: B****eaduléoma Beinnan Stán**

White veiled the landscape.

It was the first snowfall of the winter. The ground, the trees, the hills - they were all covered in white. The ponds had a thin veil of ice over them, fragile as if a single breath would shatter their brief existence. The sun filtered dimly through the clouds, giving the entire landscape a somewhat somber tone.

From within the Ector estate, an unusually muted atmosphere blanketed the stone halls. A pair of figures walked down the second floor hallway, en route to a certain someone's room.

"How is she?" Ector asked his companion.

"She is healing well. Her injuries were rather minor to begin with, although it will be a while longer until her hand heals." Theresa responded evenly. "Broken bone and burns prove quite a meddlesome combination. However, if all goes well, she will be up and about by the end of the day."

Ector sighed. "Good. That's very good to hear."

"All does not go so well, Ector." Theresa responded with a measure of fatigue. "I am able to tend to her wounds, but her psyche...that is a different matter."

"Please, do elaborate."

Theresa took a deep breath, slowing her pace slightly before speaking. "You are aware that most of the blood on her when Kay found her was not her's, correct?"

Ector nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. The subject had been a sensitive one around the estate, to put it lightly.

Theresa continued, "I do not know what happened to her - if anything - in that hut. I don't know what she _did_ in that hut. But the sheer amount of blood does bring up several...possibilities."

"Yes, of course. I understand." Ector quickly responded. He wasn't sure if he could bear to hear the words spoken aloud.

Theresa seemed to take notice of this before steering the conversation in a slightly different direction.

"No matter what happens, it's only been one day. We simply cannot know how traumatized she is until some more time passes."

The pair was finally at her door. Theresa reached for the knob.

"One second." Ector said before placing his own on the knob before her.

"Yes?"

"Is there any truth to what Kay said?" Ector asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Theresa shook her head. "It was probably the lighting. Her eyes are as they always are."

Ector sighed in relief. For some reason, the news seemed to lift a great burden from his shoulders.

Theresa took no interest. She gently pushed aside Ector's hand and opening the door.

The room was fairly well-lit, the morning sun streaming in from the lone window. The sparse and utilitarian nature of the furniture made the room seem very cold, although the cold weather probably did so to a much greater degree. And standing in the middle of the room, pulling a rope around her waist with a bandaged hand, was Arturia.

"Arturia?" Ector said, somewhat surprised at the sight.

"Ah, Sir Ector. Good morning." Arturia replied, pulling on the rope once more so that it fit snugly around her waist.

"Shouldn't you be resting? I mean, it's only been one day." The sight of Arturia's casual demeanor only further confused Sir Ector. Looking at her, it would have been impossible to guess that she was a victim of kidnapping no more than a day ago.

"I'm fine, Sir Ector, thank you." Arturia replied. "Besides, I couldn't take off today even if I wanted to."

Ector was absolutely flabbergasted. She was talking about the proving.

"Arturia, you are unwell." Theresa chimed in from behind Ector, "You have been through a great trauma. You're not thinking clearly-"

"My mind is perfectly well, thank you Lady Theresa." Arturia interrupted, her tone firm yet gentle. Somehow, she'd managed to both respect her elder and denounce their opinion in one fell swoop.

Theresa bit her lip. "It's medically inadvisable."

"I am aware. But it is a risk I am willing to take." Arturia announced, resolute. "What I would say about myself by not showing far outweighs the risk I am taking."

Ector took a step forward. "Are you so sure about that, Arturia? Everyone is aware of what has happened. No one would think less of-" He placed his hand on her shoulder, only to have her jerk away suddenly. "Arturia?"

"Please, Ector." She said, not making eye contact. "I need this."

Ector sighed and looked behind him. Theresa shrugged lightly. "Alright." He said. "Go. Make sure Kay has everything he needs."

Arturia looked Ector in the eyes and gave a light smile. "Thank you, Sir Ector." She said, quickly sidestepping the two before rushing down the hall.

Ector smiled to himself. Something about Arturia's smile just now gave him an impression that everything was going to be alright.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

"Are you nervous?"

"What? No."

"Kay."

"Fine. I'm terrified."

Arturia smiled. Kay didn't show it, but the pressure was really getting to him.

There must have been at least a hundred knights waiting for the proving to begin. Men from all different walks of life - there was a man with two massive axes on his heavily armored back, one with a helm that concealed every part of his face, one who was probably shorter than Arturia, and many others. There were even a few female knights, although their numbers were far fewer. Most had a squire of some sort with them, and they were just as varied as their masters. A few even had multiple squires. However, they all wore a very similar expression. A mix of confidence, anticipation, and fear.

Overall, there was not one individual there that wasn't worthy of their title.

The massive din of the crowd meant that the official went all but unheard until the sound of a trumpet blared aloud.

"Greetings everyone, and thank you for coming!" Said a tall man with a long red beard from the top of a raised platform. He wore a garish green outfit from head to toe, with thin embroideries of gold thread strewn throughout in intricate patterns. Atop his head was a brown hat with a large white feather, and on his feet were elegant brown shoes.

"My name is Robert de Boron, and I am the acting lord of this fine kingdom - that is, until today!" He announced with a proud voice. "Yes, for today, a new king shall be chosen! From among you, whoever succeeds in the presented test will be proclaimed, by divine right, king!"

The audience broke into a mild applause.

"Now," de Boron continued, "I know many of you await with bated breath for the chance to test your mettle against your fellow knights. However, I have been instructed that such a test will not be taking place here."

A few groans emerged from the crowd, but there was otherwise a general, confused silence.

"Fear not, the actual proving is not far from here. If everyone could please follow me, I will show you to the appropriate place." de Boron jumped down from his platform and set off in a seemingly random direction, an entourage of servants following him. A few murmurs sprung from the crowd, but in time, they all started after the eccentric man.

Kay and Arturia simply looked at one another. Kay shrugged, and began to follow the rest of the crowd. Arturia stared briefly before setting off after him.

_'Well, that was...interesting.'_ she thought to herself.

**o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o-_-o**

The path that de Boron took seemed unnecessarily indirect as the troupe of warriors followed him through the woods. The crowd whittled down slowly, until they were eventually walking in single file.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, de Boron's voice suddenly rang out. "Here we are!"

The knights slowly filed out of the forest one by one into the large clearing that de Boron had led them to. A large ring of trees surrounded the plain, and in the middle sat an awkwardly covered object. The black tarp positioned in such a way that it was obvious that a stone of some kind was beneath it.

"I thank you all for putting up with me for as long as you have. Now, I will keep you from the task no further." de Boron spun on his heels and elegantly strode over to the covered object. "It is by the decree of the late king that the test will be carried out in this manner." He grasped the cloth with one hand and pulled, uncovering what was beneath it with elegant form.

There, in the middle of the clearing, was a large rock. Sticking vertically out of the rock was a beautifully crafted longsword. Its golden handle reflected the light of the sun in a brilliant glare, only paralleled by the tranquility of the reflection that emanated from the blade itself.

"Isn't that..." Arturia heard Kay say before de Boron spoke once more.

"This is the late Pendragon's blade, Caliburn. His will has instructed that it is the blade that will, by divine right, choose the next king." the gaudy man pronounced proudly.

The knights erupted into a great deal of confusion. "How's it suppose to do that?" Several cried out in one way or another.

"Please calm down, lords and ladies!" de Boron shouted as he reached into his back pocket. "I have the king's will right here! It shall tell us how to go about this!"

The crowd gradually quieted down as de Boron read the will to himself. His murmuring was completely incomprehensible, and he flew through the parchment like it was nobody's business.

Finally, he blinked several times in surprise before replacing the paper back in his pocket. Then, he walked over to the blade and examined it closely.

"Ah, here it is!" He cried out, "There are instructions written on the handle!"

The crowd grew completely silent, awaiting de Boron's words with bated breath.

"Right here! It reads, 'Whosoe'er pulleth out this sword of this stone is rightwise king born of England'!"

The crowd remained in stunned silence.

"Pull the sword from the stone..." One knight murmured.

"That's it?" Another one spoke up.

"How does pulling that thing from a rock make any of us a king?" Somebody called out.

"Well, I'm not too sure myself," de Boron scratched his head, "The will did say it would choose by divine right, so...maybe some kind of magic holds it in place unless the right person grabs it?"

Several quiet conversations rippled through the crowd. Then, one knight stepped forward. A young man, somewhere in his mid-twenties. As far as knights went, he looked pretty normal. "I suppose it won't hurt to try." He said.

"There there! That's the spirit!" de Boron spoke with a happy voice. "What's your name, lad?"

"Sir Safir, m'lord."

"Well then, Safir, take it away!" de Boron spoke as he backed up with a grand gesture.

Safir walked up and grasped the blade with his left hand. "Well, here goes nothing..." he whispered before pulling.

The sword didn't move. He tried again, but with the same result.

He then grasped the blade with both hands and pulled harder. Still, the blade did not move.

After a few minutes of this, Safir gave up. "Well, I guess I'm not the king." He shrugged.

The competitive spirit within each and every knight ignited then and there, as they all rushed for the stone. None wanted to be the one who wasn't even able to pull a blade from a rock. One by one they tried, each as successful as Safir before them. Kay eventually tried his hand, but was about as successful as one would expect.

Tempers were raised, prides were crushed, and expletives flew as the crowd of warriors were defeated by the blade one by one. Finally, the last knight pulled on the blade one final time before giving up.

"And...that's everyone?" de Boron called out, somewhat surprised. "So, the king-to-be is not here?"

"Maybe there was a mistake." One of the knights called out.

"Yeah, there has to be. This is every knight in the province." Another agreed.

"I admit, this is rather...unexpected." de Boron scratched his head. "I suppose we could just decide through traditional jousting."

"But all our horses are back in town!" Another yelled.

Several more discontented murmurs.

"Then...single combat? Fight to first strike?" de Boron suggested.

There was a short silence before some more murmuring, this time in the affirmative, came from the crowd.

"Very well then. Everyone, please see my steward," de Boron pointed across the clearing to a small man with an official looking parchment. "He'll make the necessary arrangements for a single-strike tournament."

The crowd broke into idle chatter as many moved over to the steward. A few knights stayed behind, waiting for the crowd to disperse before heading to sign up. Among those who stayed behind was Kay and Arturia, the former sitting on a rock while the latter found a place on the ground.

"That was...strange." Kay said offhandedly.

"It was...why do you think the king chose to use such a method to choose his heir?"

Kay scratched his head. "No clue. He never had a child to pass it down to, so maybe he felt divine intervention was the only way to do so without violence."

Arturia turned to look at the crowd now behind her. They really were from all walks of life - some seemed noble and proud while others seemed to have an almost perpetual aura of danger about them. Tall, short, fat, thin, and everywhere in between. With such a diverse crowd, it stood to reason that there would be a few different thought processes as well.

And it would only take one sore loser with a few people following him to start something quite severe, if he so wished.

Arturia sighed. The very idea of such an uncertainty troubled her more than she anticipated. It was as if a massive weight had settled on her back.

"Why don't you give it a go?"

Arturia spun around. "What?"

Kay had a smug look on his face. One that really rubbed her the wrong way.

"I said, why don't you try? The sword, I mean."

Arturia turned again, gaze falling on the sword and stone no more than ten meters away from her.

"But I'm not a knight." She said.

"I don't think you have to be." Kay replied. "The sword's instructions just say that whoever pulls it out is king. It says nothing about being a knight."

Arturia's brow lowered. What Kay said was true, no doubt. There was no one that could stop her from making her own attempt. Yet still, she hesitated.

"What if I succeed?"

"Then you're king."

"And is that really for the best?" Arturia asked. "I don't know anything about being a king. Nothing about formality, or rules, or courtly manners. And on top of that, to rule a country?"

Kay laughed lightly.

"What's so funny?" Arturia asked, slightly harsher than she anticipated.

If Kay was bothered, he didn't show it. "The sword is magical, right? So how successful do you really think you'll be?"

"I-"

"Here's how I look at it:" Kay lightly smacked a fist into his open palm before continuing, "If you don't succeed, then oh well. Life goes on. But if you do, then that means that you were divinely chosen to be king," He stood up as he finished his thought, "And if that's the case, then you probably don't have very much choice in the matter anyway." He stuck out his hand.

Arturia huffed and grasped his hand. She then stood upright with a brief effort.

"Excuse me, sir...um...Baron, was it?"

"Boron, child." de Boron replied lightly. He was sitting against the stone, reading over the king's will.

"Here's another contestant who would like to try their hand at the kingship." Kay slapped Arturia on the back and pushed her forward.

"Would you now?" de Boron stood from the stone. "Are you a knight, young sir?"

Arturia's reply came slightly delayed with de Boron's error. "No, I am not...sir..." She said quietly.

A curious smile found its way on de Boron's face. He walked back to the sword and looked over it carefully.

"Well, there's nothing in these words that would keep you from trying. Go ahead! Oh, good sir knight, would you please give the young lad a little room?"

Kay blinked. "Um...sure." He backed up a few meters.

"Perfect." de Boron turned back to Arturia. "Well, don't let me stop you, go ahead!"

Arturia swallowed. She looked at the blade once more. It was a truly elegant piece of craftsmanship. The blue and gold blended perfectly, and there was no mistaking the meaning behind the gilded lettering on the hilt.

She grasped the blade with her left hand - her good hand. Her palm was already sweaty.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

She stopped at the voice behind her. Without releasing the blade, she turned.

De Boron still sat, with a wide grin on his face.

"W...what does that mean?" Arturia asked.

His grin faltered slightly. "The instant you draw that blade from the stone, you cease living as a human."

Arturia swallowed harder in a vain attempt to get rid of the lump in her throat. "Cease living..." A chill ran down her back, and she turned to her right. To Kay.

He was standing right where he was before, completely still. A small smile on his face.

"Oh don't worry, nothing I've done will harm him in any way. This is just to give us a little privacy as we talk."

Arturia turned back to de Boron. "Who are you?" She asked weakly.

"Who am I? Who are you?"

Then she remembered. The words from her dream. The words that a certain individual had told her.

_'You do not have the right to ask of me my identity until you know your own.'_

"You...you are..."

"No." de Boron held up his hand, "Not yet. Who are you?"

"Arturia..." she managed to squeak out. The man made a circular gesture with his hand, signaling for her to continue.

Arturia pressed her lips together in thought. This man wanted an answer. And if her dream was anything to go by, that meant that she had the answer in her grasp.

_'In my grasp...'_ She turned again. Her hand was still grasping the sword in the stone.

"Yes..." She whispered.

"Beg pardon?" de Boron called out from behind.

So that was it. It was a stretch, sure. But it _was_ possible. Maybe...

Maybe there _was_ a child. Then, why would the king hide it?

_'Because the child wasn't what he was expecting'_

Yes...but why? Defective, maybe?

_'Something he couldn't control. Something completely random.'_

...A girl?

_'Yes. Yes, he wanted an heir. Someone who could take his place. As _King._'_

But then, why would he hide the fact that he had a daughter?

_'Because he couldn't have another child.'_

Did the wife die in childbirth? Could he not have used a concubine?

_'No. There was something about that first child. Something that set her apart.'_

Something that couldn't be repeated.

Something that had caused Arturia much pain over the past week.

"I see." She muttered.

"Could you please speak up?" de Boron complained.

Arturia turned back to him, this time releasing her grip on the sword.

"Pendragon. My name is Arturia Pendragon."

De Boron sat in silence. Then, a slight smile parted his lips.

"And I am your father's magus. Call me Merlin."

So that was it. She figured it out.

Arturia smiled. Isn't it exactly as Kay had said, not more than ten minutes ago?

_'I__f you do, then that means that you were divinely chosen to be king. And if that's the case, then you probably don't have very much choice in the matter anyway.'_

"So, this...was all planned?" She asked the wizard.

"To an extent, my dear. Uther figured that the best way for you to learn of chivalry was from one who had lived their entire life under its grasp." As Merlin stood from his seat, his figure distorted and shimmered. Within seconds, his entire body changed into something different. A slightly shorter man, white robes covering all but the bottom half of his smooth face.

A strange expression found its way on Arturia's face. "Thus, Ector."

"Indeed. Being raised under an old knight such as him would not grant you the arrogance of a noble, yet you would still learn of the ideals that would have been taught to you anyway." Merlin took a few steps back before folding his hands behind him, robes flowing as he did so. "But now, there is still one more thing that must be done. And of course, it is within your grasp."

Arturia turned back to the sword, still in its place.

"I understand." She said. She then grasped the blade, this time with both hands.

"I do urge you to put a little more thought into such a major decision." Merlin's voice was hurried, but not nervous. A smile suddenly appeared on his lips. "You are aware of what will happen if you draw the sword?"

"Yes." She said evenly, "I will become something not human. Something that the people call 'King'. Someone who..." She grasped the handle harder as she spoke, "Must kill to protect. Kill everyone. To protect everyone."

"As a king, you are charged with upholding this great paradox. I ask you once more: are you sure?" Merlin asked, a sense of finality in his voice.

Arturia shook her head. "That doesn't matter."

"Hmm?" Merlin murmured.

She smiled to herself once more. However, this one was different from the others. There was no joy in her expression, no fond recollection. Nothing but sadness and acceptance radiated from the girl's face.

"This is what I am meant to do. Whether I want to or not, the best course of action has already been set for me."

She couldn't see for herself, but from behind her, the smile on Merlin's face vanished. Yet, he said nothing.

And then, she pulled.

Without effort, almost as if it was sentient, the sword slid out from the rock.

The clouds parted, and a ray of light fell on the blade. Light scattered in all directions, almost as if the blade itself was a source of light.

The crowd on the far side of the clearing quickly grew aware of the phenomenon, and hurried over to see their new monarch for themselves.

Kay stood in the same spot he had been, motionless with the exception of the growth of his toothy grin.

Yet, there was no sound.

Not from the band of knights, not from the drawing of the blade, not from the wind in the trees, not from anything.

Instead, there was only one thing: a brilliant radiance.

A radiance befitting a King.

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**No excuses for the delay this time. I just couldn't get in the mood to write. **

**However, then I saw EP 12 of UBW, and got really pissed that they cut of the story RIGHT BEFORE THE GOOD PART.**

**And that got my creative juices flowing.**

**Somehow...**

**Reference in this chapter is not towards the Fate series, but to the Arthurian Legend in general. Come to think of it, there's actually two references here...**

**Still no virtual cookies given out, unfortunately. Chapters 1, 4, and this one. Come on, people!**

**Also, don't forget the poll on my page! So far, the two wars are neck and neck! The suspense!**

**Questions, comments are always appreciated. Thanks to mirakura and ZenWriterZero for the reviews, as well as everyone who faved/followed since last chapter. You are true Lords and Ladies!**

**Until next time!**

**-smurf**


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